When Adam Met Keith
by nishikaze
Summary: Keith catches a bad cold while at the Garrison and the one person who helps him is the last person he expects. Mild season 7 spoilers.


When Adam met Keith

A Voltron: The Legendary Defender fanfiction

Keith catches a bad cold while at the Garrison and the one person who helps him is the last person he expects. Mild season 7 spoilers.

It was dinnertime but for once Keith didn't feel like eating. Usually his survival instincts kicked in and he'd be the first in line for mealtimes. Life in the home taught him to eat whenever he got the chance because more often than not there was never enough to go around for a household of growing boys. Not that he ever went hungry, he just always needed a bit more than his portion. He didn't have to worry as much at the Garrison, but some habits were hard to break.

His head didn't feel right. It throbbed and he couldn't breath from his nose. Both of those things could be tolerated, if not for the pain in the back of his throat. It hurt to swallow. Just another reason to skip mealtime.

Keith made a promise to Shiro however and he planed to keep it. He stopped at the older man's office but he hadn't been there. One of the ladies outside his office had suggested he went back to his Garrison appointed apartment for diner so Keith headed there to meet him.

He'd been to Shiro's apartment twice before. He knew he had a roommate named Adam, who he'd seen around the Garrison but never officially met but didn't know much else. Really they'd just been there a minute or two both times, dropping stuff off or picking something up.

Keith's feet felt like lead, and he was a little dizzy as he made his way across the quad. Arriving at the door he knocked and waited. He leaned against the door frame as he waited, the opportunity to lay his head against something cold too great a temptation to resist.

The door opened and nearly knocked Keith off his feet as it suddenly swung forward.

"Whoa! Hey there! Keith? What are you doing here?" Adam stood there, his hand on the door nob looking down at the boy. From the look of his unbuttoned uniform jacket, he's just gotten back from his duties at the Garrison.

Keith stood straight, determined not to show weakness to the man he barely knew. "I was supposed to see to Shiro for a daily report after I fu… screwed up the last drill." Keith cleared his throat. "He wasn't in his office and someone said he went home for the night. Keith craned his neck to see past the man. "Is he here?"

"No, he hasn't come home yet, but I can tell him you stopped by." Adam studied the boy closely, noticing that while Keith was desperately trying to hold it together, he was swaying ever so slightly. His face was flush and his eyes were watery. "I can have him call you or you can talk to him tomorrow."

Keith frowned, not quite hearing or understanding the officer, "What?" He questioned and then jerked, "I think I'll head back to the barracks."

Adam's eyes squinted, "Yeah…"

Keith cleared his throat, "Well goodnight. Sorry to bother you." Keith turned on his heals to leave but spun too fast and lost his balance. His legs gave out on him.

"Whoa!" Adam reached out to catch the kid before he hit the ground. "Are you okay kid?"

Keith instinctively tried to jerk away, "I'm fine, let me go." His face was flush, his eyes cloudy and unfocused and he was way too hot. Adam paused for a moment to think of the best way to address the boy. Though he hadn't spent time with him, he knew from his talks with Shiro that Keith could be defensive. It was obvious that something was wrong but he had a feeling the kid wouldn't ask for help. "I think maybe I should take you to the infirmary…"

Keith's eyes widened in panic and he weakly tried to pull away. "NO!" He lowered his voice to mask his obvious panic. "No, I'm just feeling a little under the weather. I'll just head back to my room and get some sleep. I'll be fine in the morning." He tried to pull away again and nearly fainted.

Adam made up his mind. __In for a penny I guess.__ The kid needed help whether or not he'd accept it willingly. His good conscious just wouldn't allow him to leave the kid alone. He picked Keith up before he could fall again and carried him into the house easily tossing him over his shoulder.

Keith squirmed, "What are you doing? Put me down!"

"Nope. Can't do that." Adam carried the boy through the combined living room and kitchen area and into a hallway.

"What the hel… Heck. Let me go!" Adam smirked to himself, Keith's language was one of many issues Shiro talked to him about. He also told him of his temper and reactive nature. Shiro was patient with the boy, and it had paid off, he was well on his way to being at the top of his class. The kid still had a long way to go though when it came to trusting and listening to adults. Shiro would have gently convinced the boy until Keith thought it was his idea to enter. Adam was never as patient as Shiro.

Adam carried the boy into the guest room and tossed him on the bed. "You're sleeping here tonight."

"Like hell I am." He tried to get up and failed.

Adam stood tall looking down at the boy impartially as he adjusted his glasses. "Cadet, you obviously have a fever and you are too weak to walk yourself back to your dorm. You nearly passed out on my doorstep. You aren't going anywhere."

"What the hell do you know? Let me go back!" Keith glared at him.

Adam's answer was short and to the point. "No." He turned to the door, "I suggest you take off your jacket and boots before getting under the covers. I will call Shiro and let him know you are here. I suggest you do as your told and don't fight me on this or you will cause Shiro to be inconvenienced. He will worry about you and follow you to the barracks and I'm sure harass you until you go to the infirmary."

Adam looked back at the glaring boy, "I suggest, if you don't want to become a public embarrassment, you do as I say. I'll be back in a minute." He turned and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

Taking a moment to listen at the door he heard the boy grumble some colorful words, but he also heard the rustling of clothes. He sighed. Well, he won that battle. He smiled to himself with a sense of accomplishment.

He went into his and Shiro's room and went into his dresser. He pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts. He couldn't help the kid with underwear but that was the least of his problems.

He carried the clothes into the kitchen and laid them down. Thinking for a moment he made a list of things the kid might need.

He obviously had a cold. That included a soar throat, a fever, headache and chills as well as a nasal congestion. Adam started opening cabinets and pulling out various necessities as he signaled the home assistant to call for Shiro. Not getting Shiro right away he pulled out tea, lemon juice, honey and started bringing water to a boil. Finding a can of chicken soup he looked at the label. __Well it isn't exactly the best in the world, but I don't have the time to cook from scratch.__ He emptied the can into a small pot and put it on the stove to heat it up.

He made his way into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. __Eureka__ , he smirked pulling out some leftover cold medicine, _ _I thought we had some left.__ He took the medicine into the kitchen and placed it on the counter. After the water had boiled he made a weak tea with lemon and honey and emptied the heated soup into a bowl. Loading all of the items onto a tray and including a glass of water, he made his way back to the room.

Knocking once he opened the door. Keith, it seemed had lost his will to fight, but not his defiance. He was in the bed but he was also glaring at the officer with mistrust. __Patience Adam, you know he's difficult, but he's not impossible.__ He decided to use the same tone of voice that worked before. "I brought you a change of clothes. I know they will be a bit big but it's better than sleeping in your uniform. I also brought some cold medicine, some tea to help your throat and some Chicken Noodle soup."

He laid the tray on the nightstand and handed the boy the clothes. "Did you need help getting changed?"

Keith yanked the clothes away with a jerk. "I'm not a baby, I can do it myself."

Adam looked down at the boy with a straight face and adjusted his glasses. "Excellent. Then I will wait outside the door. Let me know when you are done." Leaving the room Adam waited, a smirk on his face. The kid wasn't so hard when you challenged him.

Keith called him back as he was getting back into the bed. Adam hid his astonishment at the size of the boy. He was only 15, but the sight of him wearing his clothes highlighted just how small he was. All that attitude in such a small body. He was beginning to see why Shiro was so protective of him.

Keith gagged as he drank the fowl-tasting medicine before he turned to the tea. He tested it first with a tentative sip before drinking it down. He turned his nose up at the soup and tried to push it away. "I suggest you eat that Cadet. You won't get better any faster if you starve yourself. I'm sure you want to return to the barracks as quickly as possible."

"I know what your doing you know. I'm not dumb." Keith narrowed his eyes at the tall man. "You figure you can bully me into doing what you want by challenging me."

Adam blinked for a second before schooling his features. "Not at all Cadet. It was my understanding you could be reasonable when faced with a logical argument."

Keith didn't look convinced but he did eat some of the soup before the medicine he took made him drowsy. Once the boy was well on his way to unconsciousness, Adam gathered up the bowl and the teacup. Picking up Keith's clothes from the floor he exited the room leaving the door open a crack.

It was then he noticed Shiro had tried to call him back. He told the assistant to dial his cellular and this time Shiro picked right up. "Sorry Adam," He apologized. "My meeting with Iverson went longer than I expected. What did you need? Did you want me to pick something up for dinner?"

Adam hadn't thought of that. He was so busy caring for Keith, he didn't think about diner. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I kinda got a little busy soon after I got home."

"Oh? Brought work home?" He could here the smile in Shiro's voice.

"In a matter of speaking. A certain Cadet showed up at our doorstep."

"Oh jeez, Adam, I'm sorry. I had a meeting with him tonight. Dinnertime should be ending now. I can go flag him down when I pick something up for us."

"That will be hard to do considering he's still here." Adam smirked imaging Shiro's confusion. The smile dropped from his face. "The poor kid's sick Takashi. He could barely walk. He's spending the night."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. "He's what?"

"He's spending the night. I have him in the guest room. I figure tomorrow we can convince him to go to the infirmary."

"Yeaaaahhh." Shiro drawled. "That's not gonna happen." He paused. "Okay. I think I have an idea. Mind having a house guest for the weekend? I'll keep him occupied I promise."

Adam sighed, "I wasn't to keen on sending him back tomorrow anyway. He came close to a full on panicked when I suggested the infirmary."

"Well he and the Nurse Ratchet do NOT get along." The Lieutenant, technically a medical doctor was notorious for her lack of bedside manor. The fact that she was slightly over 6 feet and a had a permanent glare on her face didn't help either.

Adam snorted, "Does anyone?" Adam's voice softened. "Seriously Takashi, it's fine but if he's staying…"

"I'll stop by his room and pick up some clothes for him." Shiro interrupted.

"Thanks Takashi."

Later that night Adam welcomed Shiro at the door and took the items from the other man with a kiss. "Go change, I'll get dinner together."

Shiro smiled and headed back to their bedroom.

After dinner the two were lounging on the couch watching television. Shiro chuckled to himself and Adam nudged him with his elbow. "What's so funny?"

Shiro reached around and put his arm around Adams shoulders. "I can't believe you got Keith to listen without a fight."

Adam smirked. "Oh he fought, or tried to. I just think even he realized he was too weak to win." The smile dropped, "He was really sick Takashi, but he didn't want to show weakness, like I would have used it against him."

"Yeah," Shiro leaned forward, "Sometimes I look at that kid and it hurts."

Adam smiled. "You always did have a big heart."

The two heard a noise from the hallway and turned to see Keith standing just inside the living room. Adam stood, "Did you need something? What are you doing up?"

"Bathroom," The kid mumbled his eyes drowsy but focused on the two men.

"It's across the hall from the guest room." Adam answered.

"I know. I saw." Keith shifted and looked like he had something else to say.

"Spit it out Cadet, the sooner you say it the sooner you can get back to bed."

Keith looked at Adam, pondering him for a second before he answered, "That tea you made. Can I have another cup?" He paused and swallowed, "Please."

Adam made his way to the kitchen as Keith watched still standing in the doorway. "Is your throat still soar?" Keith mumbled an affirmative and Adam paused, "Sit down in the chair Cadet before you fall again."

Shiro watched in awe as Keith walked over to an armchair and sat without a fuss. He smiled, "You know, there should be a box of popsicles in the back of the freezer. That may help more."

Adam stopped and gave Shiro a blank look, "Seriously? You're hording popsicles? How old are you anyway?"

"Hey now," Shiro protested, "Adults can enjoy an occasional popsicle too."

"Uh huh." Adam dead panned, clearly enjoying Shiro's flustered reply when a giggle caught his attention. Keith had covered his mouth with his hands clearly trying not to laugh.

Shiro gave Keith a mock glare, "You turning on me too? Maybe I won't share then." Keith stiffened.

"Pfft," Adam crossed the room after pulling the frozen treat from the freezer. "Relax Cadet, he's all bark and no bite," and he handed the treat to Keith.

"Thanks," Keith answered and unwrapped the goodie.

"What? None for me?" Shiro gave Adam puppy dog eyes.

"Popsicles hoarders get nothing." But Adam pulled another out of the freezer and tossed it to Shiro on the couch.

Shiro happily ate his popsicle and Adam sat back down. The two continued to watch television until Adam nudged Shiro. Keith's eyes were closed and his head was resting on the side of the chair. The popsicle stick was hanging out of his mouth. "You're turn," Adam rumbled and Shiro stood taking the stick from Keith he nudged him. "Back to bed."

Keith mumbled something and stood shuffling back to bed. This time Shiro tucked Keith in but the boy didn't noticed. He was asleep before his head met the pillow.

The next morning Shiro was sitting at the breakfast bar as Adam was pouring a cup of coffee.

Shiro turned as Keith shuffled into the kitchen. "Good morning! Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," Keith's eyes darted between the two men. "Where's my uniform? I should head back. I have drills."

"Have a seat," Shiro motioned, "Have some cereal."

"Shiro," Keith deadpanned, "Thank you, but I don't have time. I have drills, remember."

Adam shot Shiro a curious look. "It's Saturday," He mouthed. Shiro shook his head. The kid was sentenced, along with the rest of his group, to weekend drills as punishment.

"Don't worry about the drill, I may have convinced Iverson to assign you worksheets and bookwork instead." Keith's face sunk. "Yeah, see there? That's the face I expected. You'd rather be running the boring drills in the simulator than do the paperwork. Everyone knows it too." Keith glared at him while Shiro smirked, "So according to your classmates your punishment is greater than theirs, though I never told them just how much bookwork I'm giving you." He indicated the pile on the breakfast counter next too him.

Keith cautiously came into the room and picked up the 'pile'. There were 3 pages and they were painfully simple. Keith gave Shiro a side eye and Shiro followed up with an imperial, "Now I don't expect you to get that mountain of work done in one sitting. You have all weekend to complete the assignment. Plenty of time to get over your cold."

Keith smirked at Shiro. "Mountain of work huh?"

Shiro leveled him an authoritative look. "Did you want me to assign more?"

Keith blanched an Adam muffled a snicker, "No sir."

"Good. Then sit down and have some breakfast. You'll need your energy to complete your assignment."

Shiro stood and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. Filling it with cereal and milk he handed it to the boy. Keith ogled the brightly colored label clearly meant to capture a child's attention. "Seriously?" Keith watched as Shiro sat back down and tucked into his own bowl of the brightly colored, and heavily sugared cereal. "You really are a big kid."

Adam fought a laugh as he tried to keep his coffee in his mouth. His eyes watered and he turned away. Shiro glared at Adam's back as he grabbed the box. "I don't know what you mean. It's a perfectly respectable breakfast, whole grains and plenty of vitamins. Everything a growing boy needs."

"Sure," Keith deadpanned, "If by 'growing' you mean your waistline." This time Adam couldn't hold it. He spit the coffee out of his mouth and his shoulders shook in silent laughter. He wiped tear from his eyes as he watched Shiro pick up his now empty bowl.

Shiro put the bowl in the sink and announced, "Well unlike __some__ people I have work to do." He turned to Keith, "Finish your __waistline growing__ breakfast and go back to bed. We have to get you better by Monday for my plan to work."

Keith up at Shiro and then Adam, "Are you sure I won't be a bother? I can always hide out in my bunk."

This time it was Adam who answered. "It's fine. No bother at all so long as you stay in bed and behave."

Shiro changed and left giving Adam a peck on the lips before he headed for the door. "I'll be back before lunch."

"No problem. I can get what I need done later today."

Adam headed back into the kitchen and began to clean up the coffee he had spit on the counter. Turning back around he met Keith studying eyes. "Have a problem Cadet?"

"Boyfriend huh?" Keith was direct.

"Have a problem with it?" Adam's eyebrow quirked up.

Keith was silent for a moment, absentmindedly eating his cereal before he answered. "Nope," He finished the last bite. "You're cool." With that the boy hopped off the seat and walked the bowl to the sink. He made his way back to the guestroom as Adam gaped at him. Finally Adam smiled. He had a feeling the boy had just given the best compliment he could give.

Adam cleaned up the kitchen with a smile on his face. Watching Shiro and the boy interact only solidified the idea that Shiro was meant to be a father. Adam had always known it, but it wasn't a solid idea until that morning. He was so patient and easy with the usually abrasive kid. Adam paused, __what about me?__ __Do I want kids? Would it even be possible with Shiro's illness?__

He imagined their breakfast with a son of their own and carried the thought the rest of the day.

Notes: So I know we haven't seen much of Adam to give him a personality. The only thing we know is that He and Shiro were in a long-term relationship and that Adam is protective of Shiro. Much of the personality I gave Adam was based on Shiro and a person that would be complimentary to him.

Shiro has a big heart meaning he would fall for someone similar but not necessarily as overt. Adam is protective, indicating someone more serious. Shiro can be wise and observant, but he knows how to have fun and can be silly at times. Adam personality would have to mesh with that.

But that's just my opinion.

Like it? Hate it? Please review it!


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